EWA Z. BAUER APPOINTED DISTRICT ENGINEER

First Woman to Hold Position

On Friday, November 19, 2010, the Board of Directors (Board) of the Golden Gate Bridge, Highway and Transportation District (District) announced the appointment of Ewa Z. Bauer as the new District Engineer. Bauer replaces former District Engineer Denis Mulligan who was appointed by the District Board as General Manager and began the duties of that Office on September 2, 2010, following the departure of Celia Kupersmith.

Bauer will join the four Officers of the Board (General Manager Denis Mulligan, Joseph M. Wire Auditor-Controller, District Secretary Janet Tarantino and Attorney David Miller) in managing District operations which encompasses Golden Gate Bridge, Golden Gate Ferry and Golden Gate Transit. Her appointment is conditioned upon finalizing contract negotiations with the District Board.

Bauer’s career as civil engineer spans 30 years. She joined the District 16 years ago in January 1995 as the Deputy District Engineer. Prior to joining the Bridge District, she worked for the California Department of Transportation and private engineering consulting companies in the San Francisco Bay Area.

In her capacity as Deputy District Engineer, Bauer has successfully managed numerous engineering design and construction projects ranging from the massive Seismic Retrofit Project (1995 to present) to smaller critical projects such as the Toll Plaza Paving Project (1996). She also has a proven track record in working with Environmental Review and clearance for various capital improvement projects.

Bauer hails from Poland where she earned a Master of Science in Civil Engineering, cum laude, from Swietokrzyska Polytechnical University, Poland in 1980, and a Postgraduate diploma in residential architecture from the Warsaw Polytechnical University, Poland in 1983. She is a registered professional civil engineer in the State of California. She resides in San Francisco.

ADDITIONAL BACKGROUND

Summary of Duties of the District Engineer

The District Engineer works under the direction of the General Manager. The Engineer makes make regular inspections of any engineering construction, maintenance and repair work and is in charge of construction for the District. Further, the District Engineer is responsible for design, supervision of consulting engineers, safety and inspection of the work of the District, and gives reports to the Board of Directors on those matters needing a professional opinion.

Summary of Engineering Leadership, 1929 to Present

1. Joseph B. Strauss

Chief Engineer: August 1929 to October 1937

2. Russell G. Cone

Resident Engineer: February 15, 1933 to September 1937
Chief Engineer: October 1937 to spring 1941

Clifford E. Paine

Principal Assistant Engineer: 1932 to 1938
Consulting Engineer: 1941 to his death in July 1983

Leon H. Nishkian

Consulting Engineer (part-time): July 18, 1941 to his death June 2, 1947